RankedGaming

Best Gifts for Gamers (Holiday 2026)

For buying a gift for a gamer when you are not one yourself. Ranked on how much it will actually get used, how hard it is to get wrong (platform match, owning it already) and value at current US list prices, which moved a lot in 2026: Switch 2, Steam Deck OLED and PlayStation Plus monthly plans went up while Game Pass Ultimate came down. Confirm their platform first. Prices are US list as of Oct 21, 2026.

A community-ranked list on FindBest — currently in the creator's order; no member votes yet. Votes change the order: when members vote, the list is ordered by their votes. How ranking works.

FFelix Cheung

10 entriesAdded Oct 21, 2026

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Xbox Game Pass Ultimate

The best-value subscription gift of 2026, because Microsoft cut it. Ultimate went to US$29.99 a month in October 2025, then dropped to US$22.99 on April 21, 2026. It covers console, PC and cloud play with day-one first-party releases. One change to know: future Call of Duty games no longer arrive on day one. Cheaper tiers exist (Essential US$9.99, Premium US$14.99, PC Game Pass US$13.99).

4 pros · 3 cons

PlayStation Plus (12-month membership)

For a PS5 owner, a year of PlayStation Plus is the gift that cannot really miss. US annual prices held at US$79.99 for Essential, US$134.99 for Extra and US$159.99 for Premium even after Sony raised monthly rates in May 2026, which makes the annual plan the better buy. Essential covers online play and monthly games; Extra adds the large catalogue most people want.

4 pros · 3 cons

Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack

The cheapest gift on this list that a Switch 2 owner will open every week. A 12-month individual membership is US$49.99 (US$79.99 for a family of up to eight accounts), against US$19.99 for basic online. The Expansion Pack adds Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Advance libraries and, on Switch 2 only, GameCube classics. A GameCube-style controller is sold separately.

4 pros · 3 cons

8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller

The safest hardware gift under US$60. 8BitDo launched the Ultimate 2 at US$59.99 and it regularly sold for about US$48 in 2026 deals. The Wireless model is listed with TMR joysticks, which resist drift, and a charging dock. Check the variant before you buy: the Bluetooth model is sold for Switch and Switch 2 as well as Windows, while the 2.4G Wireless model targets Windows and Android.

4 pros · 3 cons

Nintendo Switch 2

The big-ticket family gift, now pricier. Nintendo raised the US price from US$449.99 to US$499.99 on September 1, 2026, with Canada and Europe changing the same day; Nintendo pointed to market conditions, and coverage tied it to memory costs. For a household without one it is still the console with the widest age range. Bundle prices circulating online were not confirmed on Nintendo's own pages.

4 pros · 3 cons

Steam Deck OLED

The best handheld for someone who already owns a Steam library, at a price that changed in 2026. Valve raised the OLED to US$789 (512GB) and US$949 (1TB) on May 27, 2026, citing component costs. Valve's certified refurbished OLED units at US$629 and US$759 are the value play, with a one-year warranty. The LCD model was discontinued in December 2025.

4 pros · 3 cons

Sony DualSense Edge

The pro controller for a PS5 player who already has everything. It adds swappable stick modules, back buttons and adjustable triggers. Most 2026 sources give a US list price of US$199.99, but one tracker reports US$219.99 after Sony's 2026 price changes, so check before you budget. It has regularly been discounted to around US$169 during sales.

4 pros · 3 cons

SteelSeries Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2

A wireless headset is a gift gamers rarely buy themselves and use every night. The Arctis Nova 7 Gen 2 launched at US$199.99 (GBP 179.99) in PC, PlayStation and Xbox versions, connects over 2.4GHz and Bluetooth at once, and a German retailer listing quotes 50 hours of battery. UK deals dropped it to GBP 149.99 within two months of launch.

4 pros · 3 cons

Backbone Pro

For the phone gamer, or the console player who streams Game Pass or PS Remote Play from bed. The Backbone Pro lists at US$169.99 (US$179.99 for the Xbox edition) and adds full-size sticks, rear buttons and Bluetooth, so it also works away from the phone, with up to 40 hours wireless. It dropped to about US$135-140 in past sales. Some features need Backbone+ at US$39.99 a year.

4 pros · 3 cons

Elgato Stream Deck MK.2

The gift for the gamer who streams, or wants to. Fifteen LCD keys trigger scene switches, sound effects, mute and app shortcuts with one press. Elgato's own store lists it at US$149.99, and Best Buy and B&H have shown it at US$119.99. It is ranked last only because it suits a narrower group: for a non-streamer it is a desk toy, while for a streamer it quickly becomes essential.

4 pros · 3 cons

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